In August, farmers near Tyneburg were ploughing their fields in preparation for sowing winter wheat a month later. Whig was bored, so he rode his grey horse and watched his subjects work closely.
The two-field system is now in place locally. Farmers divide their land into two plots, one for planting winter wheat and one for fallow. The day before ploughing, farmers harness oxen to pull a light wooden plough, which is very inefficient at ploughing the soil, and a plot of farmland often has to be ploughed twice.
Whig believed that ploughing farmland would loosen the soil, improve air permeability and promote crop growth. In this view, when ploughing the land, it should be ploughed as deeply as possible, not superficially.
He called out to an English-speaking farmer nearby, "Hey, this wooden plow is too light, why not use a heavy iron plow?"
The interlocutor showed a sad and timid face, "We have always used this "Roman plow" and never thought of changing it."
Roman plow.
Vig stared at the light wooden plow, his mind working quickly, and soon he realized its fatal flaw.
"The climate on the Mediterranean coast is dry, and the soil is relatively soft. A light wooden plow is enough to plow to the desired depth. In contrast, the climate on the North Atlantic coast is humid, and the soil is wet and sticky. Even if a plot of land is plowed twice, it will not produce the expected effect. Alas, I really admire you. You only know how to copy Roman things and use them for hundreds of years, without knowing how to improve them."
Returning to the study, Vig searched his memory and remembered that a large heavy plow was popular in Europe after the 11th century. It was pulled by two oxen, had an iron plow blade and two wheels.
"Well, it must be designed like this."
After drawing more than a dozen sketches in a row, Vig grabbed his hair and thought deeply, choosing two decent sketches and handing them to Kader.
"Finish it, don't forget to pay more attention, this plow is enough to benefit most farmers in Europe."
Sending the blacksmith away, Vig remembered the content about the three-field system and further improvement of agricultural production.
Under the two-field system, the yield of winter wheat per acre of farmland is about 8 bushels.
(Bushel, bushel, similar to the Eastern dou and sheng, 1 bushel of wheat is about 27.216 kilograms)
Assuming a family of five owns 30 acres of farmland, half of the land is used for farming, and the annual yield is 120 bushels.
As for expenses, for every acre of land, 2 bushels of seed are reserved, half of the land is fallow, and 15 acres are cultivated, a total of 30 bushels of seed grain are needed.
Pay 15% tax to the lord, 18 bushels. Pay 10% tithes to the church, 12 bushels. The total of these two is 30 bushels.
As for diet, assuming each person eats 600 grams of grain (the staple food, excluding other grains) per day, this is equivalent to 40 bushels per year.
After deducting the three main expenses, 20 bushels are left over. In addition, farmers also need to buy necessities such as farm implements, young cattle, salt, clothing, shoes, and socks, and only a small amount of grain can be stored in a barn.
Over time, the three-field system gradually replaced the original two-field system.
The three-field system divides the field into three equal parts: one for planting winter wheat, another for planting spring crops such as oats and peas, and the last for fallow.
In terms of land utilization rate, the two-field system uses only half of the land, while the three-field system uses two-thirds of the land, and legumes also have the function of nitrogen fixation, which can improve soil fertility and increase crop yield.
"If the yield increases, the tax will also increase. Implement it in a small area for one year, and if the effect is good, then implement it throughout the entire area."
After much persuasion, Vig convinced ten Viking farmers to implement the three-field system, promising that if the yield was less than the original two-field system, he would pay their losses.
Soon it was September. Amidst the whispers of others, the ten Viking farmers divided the land into three parts, sowing only ten acres of winter wheat and leaving the remaining twenty acres uncultivated for cultivation the following year.
...
After sowing, farmers from all over the country came to rinse the woollen cloth. Experience has shown that the efficiency and quality of the water-powered bleaching workshop is much higher than manual bleaching, and users are willing to pay 5% of the costs. Looking at the water wheel spinning all day, Vig was full of emotions. He did not expect that he would have a day to sit and earn money.
Early in the morning, Vig, who was bored, sat down in front of the water-powered bleaching workshop to bask in the sun. The girl who sold books last time found him and asked to borrow the water-powered bleaching workshop.
"No problem, Elif, give the cloth to the workers inside and don't forget to pay the fee when you finish." "
My lord, my name is Heligif."
After removing the woolen cloth from the horse's back, the girl curiously entered the workshop, and the worker motioned for her to put the woolen cloth into the washing tank. The river water drove the water wheel to turn two wooden hammers, which alternately hammered the woolen cloth into the washing tank.
"Incredible," Heligif exclaimed quietly. In the past, bleaching woolen cloth required the work of her parents and herself, which was labor-intensive and time-consuming. Now, this bleaching workshop uses only the flow of water to power the machinery, and its efficiency is much higher than manual labor.
At this time, Vig's voice came from behind the door: "You can watch, but you can't build a workshop somewhere else to steal my business."
"I know." Heligif came out of the door, raising the back of her white hand to shield herself from the blinding sunlight. "Our family is in financial difficulties. In the future, we can only do honest farming and herding sheep. We don't have the money to build a workshop." "
Really? For me, farming and herding sheep were rare blessings at that time." Speaking of the past, Vig admitted that thieves were everywhere in Northern Europe, and the countryside where he lived was robbed ten times a year. There were individual thieves and groups of robbers.
"The winter climate in Northern Europe has been harsh for the past two years. The villagers could not survive, abandoned their families, and came to Britain to join me. Compared to Northern Europe, the climate here is relatively mild, and the crop yield is 20-30 percent higher, which can hardly be called second-rate, but ultimately it is not as good as the black soil along the Dnieper." "
Are you going to Constantinople to trade via the Dnieper?"
Vig was extremely surprised by Geligiev's question: "Do you really know this trade route? It is truly rare."
Speaking of Constantinople, he recalled the duel he had fought in front of the emperor, and found that his opponent showed a hint of doubt in his eyes, and he casually drew his sword: "Look, this is the best weapon in all of Europe. Although Ivar's Broken Heart is also made of Damascus steel, it is ultimately not as good as my Dragon's Breath."
During the war, nobles like Eric and Leonard repeatedly offered to buy the Dragon's Breath Sword, with the highest price reaching twenty pounds of silver. Some even planned to seize the weapon in a duel.
To prevent such troubles, Vig killed three opponents in a duel in a row. After that, Ivar also threatened that even if someone won the sword in a duel, he would take it back in the same way, barely stopping everyone's greed.
...
"It's a good story, but it's a bit bloody. Goodbye, Master Vig."
After listening, Heligif smiled at this knowledgeable gentleman, lifted the hem of her skirt with both hands, bowed slightly, and left, holding the washed woolen cloth in her hands...